CHANTILLY, Va. –
The Director’s Innovation Initiative (DII) is an annual NRO program that solicits proposals from the U.S. government, industry and academic sources looking for classified or unclassified, low-maturity technology that could eventually advance for use in NRO’s overhead systems. Applicants can receive up to $500,000 in funding for accepted proposals.
“We’re looking for those high-risk, innovative concepts that are going to fundamentally change how we do our mission in space,” said DII Program Manager Alex Kordell on The Dish podcast.
The DII has six areas of interest: remote sensing, apertures, communications, systems design, sensemaking, and other disruptive concepts. Kordell explained in the podcast that the DII program is looking for proposals that align with NRO’s strategic mission.
“We’re always looking to widen our aperture, really pick up a lot of the companies, the researchers and the scientists that we don’t get in our normal solicitations that go out for our satellite systems,” Kordell said.
To learn more about the DII program and how to apply, listen to the full DII podcast on Soundcloud, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts (@NatReconOfc). To submit a proposal, register and apply at the Acquisition Center of Excellence Acquisition Research Center. Applicants have until August 11, 2021 to apply.